Wow, what a gem!

That was the impression Richard Greene had when he first peeked through the windows of the Vernie Snow Aquatic Center a few months ago.

Invited by his longtime friend and Kingfisher City Manager Jim Thomas, Greene was in town to consider taking the role of project manager to restore new life to the multi-million dollar indoor swimming facility in Kingfisher Park.

When the state-of-the-art facility opened its doors in the summer of 1999, a constant stream of swimmers flocked to the pool, enjoying the amenities very few small communities can boast.

With competitive swimming lanes, a diving pool, slide pool, shallow beach entry pool with mushroom-shaped fountain and party room, the aquatic center has been providing yearround fun and fitness opportunities for Kingfisher residents and surrounding communities for almost 25 years.

However, through the years, something changed.

The pool was being underutilized and costing taxpayers about $350,000 a year to operate, Thomas said.

As Thomas and city commissioners began to consider whether the aquatic center was still a viable amenity for the city, a decision was made to make a push to revive the asset and bring the people back to the pool.

“The city commissioners have stepped up to the plate and we’ve invested some new capital in it,” Thomas said. “It’s getting rebranded and also retooled a little bit by making some repairs that have been neglected over the years.

“I think the elected officials and myself all agree that it’s not going to turn a profit, but if we can get it as close to breaking even as possible, that’s our goal, because it’s a quality of life amenity.”

Accepting the challenge of project manager, Greene has been on the job since the begin- ning of the year and he said a lot of progress has already been made.

“What I’ve come to determine is when the pool was first built, there were obviously champions of the pool,” Greene said. “As mayors, commissioners, city managers and pool directors changed, focus waned and neglect occurred.”

Although that’s not uncommon with change of leadership, Greene said, now is the time to address the issues surrounding the pool and restore a regional asset to the community.

Having undergone other upgrades and renovations through the years, most recently in 2020, Greene said there are still mechanical and safety issues which needed to be addressed.

One of the first things was to remove the old plaster from the bottom of the pool and resurface it, which led to the temporary closing of the aquatic center in December.

The re-plastering process had to be completed in 14 days, Greene said, but there was also an additional 28day curing period and other mechanical and safety issues were discovered along the way.

A collective decision was then made to close the pool for 90 days to take care of everything which needed to be addressed, he added.

In the meantime, Greene said he has been receiving input regarding why the facility is being underutilized and has discovered is it’s been primarily because of the condition of the pool.

“Paint was coming off the bottom of the pool and people were getting their feet scratched and cut up, the water temperature was inconsistent, there were issues with air movement which led to a strong chlorine smell and humidity problems, the mushroom fountain wasn’t working and diving boards were worn,” he said.

“The way to get people back is to take care of all those issues and work on returning the pool to a condition that is safe, enjoyable and well-maintained…and that’s what we’re in the process of doing.”

Once the pool was re-plastered, Greene said the fire department stepped in to help refill it, which took approximately 18 hours.

Lifeguards were busy sweeping the pool daily during the curing process, chemicals are being added back to the pool and other mechanical repairs are well under way, Greene added.

“This small community has a big beautiful pool,” Greene said. “It’s about taking a little pride in the pool, which is a gem for the city.”

As an outsider, Greene offered a great deal of praise for Kingfisher, touting its many unique qualities and stressing what a great asset the aquatic center is for the community.

Addressing the fact that lack of supervision has been an issue in the past, Thomas said, “There will be adequate supervision and no life-safety issues going forward once the pool is reopened.”

Additionally, Greene said there are currently 15 lifeguards on staff and he is working to instill pride and responsibility in what they do as safety officers.

Impressing upon them the importance of their position, Greene said he reminds them how much people rely on them and of the tremendous responsibility they carry.

More lifeguards are still needed, Greene added, including any adults that might be interested.

After reviewing limited data of pool usage, Greene said it appears the pool was averaging two swimmers a day before it closed for repairs and only has 13 active memberships.

Another thing Greene said he noticed when he had to cancel pool parties due to the closure, was that of the 27 parties which were booked, 24 were from outside the city.

There’s interest in the pool, but a lot comes from outside the community, Greene said.

“It was built for the people of Kingfisher,” Thomas commented, “And we always welcome visitors, but it was built mainly for citizens and they are paying the taxes on it.

“Our goal is to get the public to use this asset that belongs to the people of Kingfisher.”

Overflowing with ideas, Greene said some of the things being considered is outreach to boost people’s interest, such as different days highlighting senior citizens, church groups, schools, business sponsorships, a junior lifeguard program, junior swim club and various other activities.

Another exciting feature is the rebranding as the “K-town Kove,” which Thomas said was a suggestion put forth by the lifeguards.

It won’t replace the Vernie Snow title, but is simply an addition meant to reenergize the aquatic center and help bring people back once the renovation is complete.

By the end of the year, Greene said the plan is to create the process required to maintain the pool and then have a knowledgeable and clean handoff to an individual who has been trained and is committed to be the champion for the aquatic center.

“My goal is to get it to a state of usability, enjoyability and attractiveness and get the community to come back and enjoy it,” Greene added.

Currently the plan is to reopen the first week of April and celebrate a “Big Splash” grand reopening at the end of May, Greene said.

“We now have a new plaster pool lining that was previously 25 years old, we’re working on heating the water so that it’s consistently at 82 degrees, working on humidity issues and air circulation and doing some cleaning,” Thomas said. “It’s getting a facelift and hopefully the public will embrace what we’re doing.

“It’s a public amenity, just like the parks and golf course and it’s for the use of the public.”